Petunias, a hanging-basket staple

SUNTORYDRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT: Petunias have come a long way since they were introduced into cultivation in Europe in the early 1800s, when they were little more than weedy wildflowers. Today, after extensive breeding programs, the popular annual has improved exponentially.

Pass the petunias, please.

So say gardeners across the globe, begging for this outrageously popular annual that satisfies any appetite for a mass of color that lasts longer than Aunt Betty's fruitcake.

Problem is, petunias are just as mysterious as what goes into that holiday concoction.

Amble into any garden center and the menu of varieties can make ordering your favorite a long process.

But once you know the categories, you'll be well on your way to dessert -- baskets and beds that will be a feast for the eye.

A little history is in order. The petunias our ancestors knew were quite different from those available today. They were leggy, small-flowered and came in two colors: white and purple. Discovered in South America in the 1700s, P. axillaris and P. violacea hold the positions at the top of the family tree.

Then breeders selected for a fuller plant that didn't get sparse at the top. Of course, they wanted more flowers, bigger flowers, additional colors and longer blooming. Disease resistance and weather tolerance were also goals.

Did they succeed?

Yes, but it took time, says Paul Fukasawa, production manager at Al's Garden Center in Sherwood. At first, plants could only be propagated by seed and often weren't uniform in size, color or vigor. Over time, improvements were made in seed petunias, culminating in the super-marketed Wave series developed by the Japanese beer company Kirin.

Coincidentally, another Japanese company in the business of alcohol, Suntory, beat Kirin to the punch with a vegetatively propagated petunia they named Surfinia, says Lou Aguirre, marketing manager for Jackson & Perkins, which has U.S. licensing rights to Suntory petunias.

Marv Bondarowicz'Surfinia Sky Blue'

The two petunia lines, one grown from seed, the other by cuttings, have come to dominate the market. Giving them competition is Proven Winners, a marketing organization that offers varieties from around the world under their trademarked name.

So many new varieties come to the table each year, growers such as J&P and Oregon nurseries Bauman Farms, Ross Nursery and Al's Garden Center (which grows 67 varieties of petunias), attend trials or conduct their own to decide which to offer.

"It's a very slow year if there are only 300 new varieties," says Erric Ross of Ross Nursery. "More commonly it's 600 to 1,000." Some years, Ross may choose only one or two new introductions to grow. Sometimes none. Same with Al's, where 60 new varieties are displayed in the trials each spring. Both the public and garden center owners come to tag their favorites.

What sells, they've found, is trailing petunias. People want those big, flower-coated hanging baskets dangling from porches. So that's what they get.

Obviously, there's no dearth of new petunias. J&P is coming out with a new line of petunias called Patio. They're upright and work well in small pots where you don't need the 3-by-3-foot size of trailers.

"A regular trailer is no more than an inch and a half tall in the crown," says Aguirre. "The uprights can go to 21 inches. It's a totally different market."

Chances are uprights will never reach the popularity of trailers, which can be used in beds, containers or hanging baskets. But whatever you choose, it's sure to be yummy. Any petunia on the market today does what it should do: bloom in profusion for months, come in dozens of colors and grow strong and vigorous.

So in the end, the menu shrinks to some very simple choices: Do you want upright or trailing, and what's your favorite color?

Bon appetit.

POPULAR PETUNIAS

Breeders and growers introduce hundreds of petunias every year. The most popular are the trailing petunias; doubles still need deadheading and pinching back to keep them from getting leggy. The best-marketed and therefore the best-known are the Surfinia series from Suntory; Wave from the Kirin Co; and Supertunia, the trademark name of Proven Winners petunias.

PROVEN WINNERS'Supertunia Vista Bubblegum'

Marv Bondarowicz'Surfinia White'

THE OREGONIAN'Surfinia Wild Plum'

Marv Bondarowicz'Surfinia Lavender Lace'

TIMELY TIPS

Plant in sun.

In warm temperatures, water daily. When it's hot, they'll need water two or even three times a day. The healthier the plant is, the more it needs water.

Petunias gobble up fertilizer but don't want much phosphorus (the middle number on labels) because it inhibits the uptake of iron, calcium and magnesium. If they don't get these minor elements, they'll get yellow stripes and struggle. Al's Garden Center carries a water-soluble 20-9-20 fertilizer. Erric Ross of Ross Nursery says his secret weapon is Jack's Classic Plant Food (20-6-22) made by J.R. Peters. Whatever you use, it should be water-soluble and used once a week or at least twice a month. Baskets hung along streets are fertilized every day when they're watered.

Only double petunias need to be deadheaded. Today, all the singles are self-cleaning. No need to pinch petunias anymore. Hybrids are bred to send up new growth from the crown. However, if you don't place them in full sun, petunias will stretch out looking for the light.

Petunias are guaranteed to have budworm by midsummer. The moths lay eggs that turn into caterpillars that come out at night and feed on the buds. For organic control, use Bt twice a month. Be sure to spray thoroughly, covering the inside of foliage as well as the outside. If you prefer, use a pesticide registered for budworm, such as Orthonex. Be aware that chemical pesticides will kill beneficial insects as well.